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Tankhunter - Henschel Hs 129 B-3 |
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Diorama (1:48) built by Christian Jakl |
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For most people the Hs 129 is and was the ugliest aircraft ever built. I
don’t agree with that. On the contrary upon closer examination it
is one of the most interesting designs ever developed. The first design
appeared during 1937. The novelty was that it was specifically designed
as an anti-tank and ground support aircraft.
Comparable to today’s A-10, the Hs 129 was the first pure ground attack
aircraft. It had no similar Allied counterpart. Unusual was the thin fuselage
with the triangular cross-section and the very tight cockpit. Because of
the lack of space some of the control levers had to be installed on the
inside of the engine bay and the gun sights were installed in front of the
cockpit and slightly to the right. Despite this, the area the pilot had
to operate in was extremely tight especially for a large man. The biggest
problem with the whole Hs 129 series was that it was chronically underpowered.
While the A series was equipped with two Argus As 410 A-1 engines, the B
series was thanks to the fall of France equipped with the radial Gnome-Rhone
14M rotary engines. These engines were available in larger numbers. The
tiny Henschel came unto its own during the invasion of the Soviet Union.
The RLM soon understood the potential of a good ground support aircraft
that was able to support advancing ground troops. With the addition of various
"Rüstsätze" (weapons packages), the additional weight
had a negative impact on flying characteristics. There was no rear defense
so additional armor plate was added which reduced speed considerably. In
order to deal with the numerical superiority of Soviet tanks more and more
powerful weapons were adapted to be used in the Hs 129. The Hs 129 B-2/Wa
(weapon carrier) was developed.
The first aircraft received the MK 103 cannon, later models received the
BK 3,7 which already had been used successfully in the Ju 87 G2 Stuka. Naturally
the much smaller Henschel could carry only one cannon of this caliber. The
two MG 17s had to be removed to make room for the ammunition for the BK
3,7. This was not enough for the RLM as they pushed for even bigger caliber
weapons. The last variant and actually built for testing was the B-3. With
a 75mm anti-tank Pak 40 L and with no increase in power, the aircraft was
practically limited in its ability to fly. Speed and maneuverability were
seriously hampered. However this weapon was able to destroy any tank at
a distance of a 1000meters. The development of the C model with more powerful
engines did not go beyond the design stage. |
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 The
model, Henschel Hs 129 B-3
The Hasegawa version of the B-3 is not officially available in Austria.
I don’t know the reason for this but many models from Asia never reach
the shelves of European hobby shops. The B-3 is barely distinguishable from
the B-2 kit. Only a few resin parts were added, the weapons pod, the telescopic
sight ZFR 3 B as well as the covers for the MG 17 openings. There is also
a white metal, two part Pak 40 L and new decal sheet for the 13. and 14.
Staffel of Schlachtgeschwader 9. I replaced the kit cannon with a turned
brass replacement from Schatton. The accuracy of the drilled holes by the
German manufacturer cannot be surpassed. The canopy and wheel wells are
from CMK. Since the Henschel does not get much attention, there is not much
literature available.
This is especially true of pictures of the B-3. The only exception is the
Luftwaffe Classic book by Martin Pegg. Only twelve B-3s ordered by the RLM
and actually built. They were flown and tested and because of the horrible
flying characteristics never were used operationally. Yellow three with
the Werknummer 162040 of 14(Pz)./SG 9 was lost due to engine failure near
Nagygmand, Hungary during early 1945. As usual I stayed away from decals
as much as possible and I used the rivet roller tool on the body of the
aircraft. Since the Hasegawa kits are of very good quality, assembly posed
no problems. It would have been interesting to open up the weapons carrier
so as to be able to recreate the working mechanism of the weapons. I’ll
save that for the 1/32 version. |
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The
diorama
My original idea was different. The scenario was to have been a winter scene
with the ground crews applying a winter scheme. Because of many delays in
the procurement of various accessories and materials I had to change my
plan. As soon as the temporary hangar was completed, the base had to be
extended; otherwise the Henschel would have ended up in the hangar. The
length and width of the diorama was extended by 10 centimeters. Now it was
possible to represent the aircraft being pulled out by a Kettenkraftrad.
The downside- the large empty spaces had to be filled. With new ideas came
new problems. In order to make these ideas come true, one needs the necessary
materials ,which is difficult in Austria. Waiting becomes a necessary evil.
I admit that I am not a friend of Internet shopping. As a result the construction
of the diorama dragged out over one half year. This is time wasted because
one cannot really begin something else because the materials waiting to
be used have to lie around to wait for the missing accessories. There just
was not enough space to put them away. In the end the larger size of the
base was a plus. More empty space made the whole diorama seem less overloaded.
Details could be hidden and minor things did not appear as obtrusive. The
focal point was to be the hangar and the onlooker’s curiosity was
to be drawn to the back of the hangar in order to observe the goings on
behind the scenes of the aircraft’s shelter.
The
makeshift hangar
The materials used in the construction of the hangar were relatively inexpensive
in comparison to the rest of the accessories. Balsawood, walnut molds, white
glue, corrugated aluminum (from an architectural supply store, 1:50) a little
paint and pastels was all that was needed. Total price about 30 Euros. With
home drawn plans that were in scale to the Henschel Hs 129 and the proportion
of the base there were no construction problems. I started with the framework,
followed by the various panels of the walls. The weathering of the wood
was accomplished with rough sandpaper and light gray pastels. A pleasant
aspect of working with these materials is the light weight. Finally the
hangar loft was enhanced with a little straw and other decorative items.
The corrugated roof is made of aluminum and is easy to work with and bendable. |
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The
vehicles
I will not discuss the vehicles by Tamiya since they are of superior quality
and are practically faultless. Not so with the Opel Blitz by FM-Detail.
I corrected and rebuilt about 60% of the vehicle. This is shocking when
one considers the price of almost 40 Euros. Warped parts, missing detail
and two left rear mudguards does not make one happy. At least I can be proud
that the sides of the truck bed are made of real wood. The tarp is made
from an old handkerchief drenched in wallpaper glue. The new details are
made of Evergreen plastic rod. I do not give up hope that the industry will
surprise me in the future with an injection molded soft skin vehicle that
I need. At the moment all we see are tracked, armored vehicles...
Conclusion
To get right to the point- too big and much too expensive! With over 400
Euros just in model related costs without the cost of the diorama materials
calculated in, it busted my budget. This raises the question whether it
was worth it when one considers that for the same cost and time one could
have built many more other models? We all have a little tick to overdo it.
It is exactly that which makes modeling so much fun. Building dioramas is
a challenge. Personally I enjoy working with all kinds of materials not
just plastic and resin. I suggest try it sometime. |
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meet the modeler |
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Christian Jakl |
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I was born in Vienna in 1971 and now I live in the middle of the mountains in the Tyrol district. I am in marketing and my specialty is graphic design and layout. Ships, planes and automobiles is how it started and now I have taken up aircraft models only. I concentrate on the German and Soviet air force. My favorite mode of display are dioramas in 1/48 scale. Here I can let my imagination run wild and can produce many of parts. Experimentation and the use of new techniques are foremost on my mind. I also combine stock kits with other add on’s and try out new tools. There is always a lot to learn.
It is not all that important to me if a detail is no exactly in the right spot; the final product has to look right. If somebody stands in front of my model and is enthused then I did my job right. The only problem I have is the time factor and in this I probably not alone. I wish everybody a lot of fun with this page and hope that critiques and comments are forthcoming. |
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Email:  jakl.christian@gmx.at |
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This page: GALLERY: Tankhunter - Henschel Hs 129
B-3 (1:48) - built by Christian Jakl
was last modified on: Nov 20, 2006
The URL of the page is: http://www.rlm.at/cont/gal28_e.htm
Translation into English by Werner
Stocker (Ft. Myers, FL USA).
© Copyright www.rlm.at
and the contributing author(s). All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.
Terms of use: All material within this site is protected under copyright
and may only be reproduced for personal use. You must contact the Author(s)
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